


Beneath The Snow

by seasparks



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Edeleth Week, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Spoilers, Fluff and Angst, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-08 18:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20839766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seasparks/pseuds/seasparks
Summary: Edelgard and Byleth take some time for themselves during their busy life in Enbarr.





	1. snow day

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a work in progress; each chapter is being written for a day of Edeleth Week (https://twitter.com/EdelethWeek). We don't really know where it's going to end up, so as more things arise, we'll update the summary & notes & whatnot accordingly. Hopefully that's not too confusing for anyone!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Watching snow fall on Enbarr dredges up Edelgard's traumatic past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written for Edeleth Week day 1, using the prompt "snow day". https://twitter.com/EdelethWeek

Edelgard pressed her face up against the window, watching the snow fall outside. She didn't understand why so few people appreciated winter. She loved everything about it: how the world looked like a blank canvas, ready to sweep everything away and start anew; the sense of peace that can only be found early in the morning after a fresh snowfall, before the rest of the world is awake; the camaraderie created by needing to huddle together inside shelter to survive against the harsh elements. When she was very young, she and her siblings would—

Suddenly her mind was back in the last days of her childhood, after most of her siblings had died. Physically, she was still in her bedroom, with Byleth sound asleep in bed behind her, but she could hear her siblings' cries and see the reflections of her tormentors in the window in front of her as if they were there with her. She felt their loss like it was fresh, and was soon buried in the familiar despair of being trapped, unable to do anything but hope her fate came quickly.

Overwhelmed, Edelgard buried her face in her hands and started crying, doing her best to avoid waking Byleth. For so long, she had shoved all of her emotions deep down inside her to focus on her goal of creating a better Fódlan. When she finally accepted that what she felt for Byleth was love, all those suppressed emotions escaped along with it. She cried easily now, as if to make up for all the years she spent unable to to so and unwilling to get close enough to anyone or anything to even _want_ to shed tears over them.

She was still crying when she heard the rustle of fabric behind her. Byleth could be silent if they wanted, but they knew not to sneak up on Edelgard, especially not when she was feeling vulnerable.

"El," Byleth said, once they were sure Edelgard had noticed them. "Can I come closer?"

"Yes, love." Edelgard turned toward Byleth and let their arms envelop her. Byleth had grabbed that ridiculous cloak of theirs before checking on Edelgard, and Byleth drew it around the two of them. Edelgard buried her face in Byleth's shoulder and let herself weep unrestrained.

Byleth stroked Edelgard's hair as her flashback ran its course. "It's okay, El. I'm here. You're safe," Byleth whispered, hoping the words would help keep Edelgard tethered to reality.

Slowly, Edelgard's weeping became crying, which became sniffling, which became reluctance to leave Byleth's calming embrace. Edelgard wrapped her own arms around Byleth's waist and returned the hug, squeezing tightly, for some reason fearing that if she didn't, Byleth would be taken from her again, this time never to return.

"Thank you," Edelgard said. "For everything." Byleth's own hug tightened in response. "You were my only weakness. For years I never let anyone become dear to me in this way, but somehow you snuck in. But instead of breaking me like I feared, you helped me allow myself to do...this. Not that it's pleasant, of course, but compared to keeping everything bottled up, not trusting anyone..." She trailed off.

"I love you, El," Byleth said. "I don't know how much I'll be able to help you through this, but I'll always be here for you. I promi—"

Edelgard cut Byleth off. "Please don't."

Still holding on to Byleth as if her life depended on it, Edelgard pulled her head away from Byleth's shoulder and looked them in the eyes.

"I can't bear the thought of you leaving, but even worse is the thought of you staying with me out of some foolish sense of obligation rather than love," Edelgard explained. "If you wish to make me a promise, promise to be honest with me, even if it will break my heart. Promise me that I will never need to search between your words for clues that your love for me has faded, or to look for hidden meaning in even your smallest gestures." Her voice rang with all the authority of the Adrestian emperor.

Byleth closed their eyes and let Edelgard's words sink in before responding.

They wanted to make sure they fully understood what they were about to promise, and that they meant every word.

Byleth opened their eyes, and spoke. "I will always be honest with you, El. I will never hide my feelings from you, and I will always be open and honest with you. I have trouble understanding my own feelings sometimes, so I may not always be able to communicate them to you. But I'll uphold this to the best of my ability. In the name of Sothis and the sacrifice she made to bring me back to you, I promise you this."

Edelgard kissed Byleth when they were done speaking. There. Now it's official. And if you break your promise, I'll send Hubert after you." She smiled as she said this, but her tone was serious. "Thank you, my love."

Byleth nodded, but they looked troubled. "Do you worry about those things, El?"

"...yes," Edelgard replied nervously. "I don't know why, but I do. It's difficult for me to believe that I can keep this happiness without it being snatched away. People I once trusted have become strangers to me while remaining close to me before, and I fear..." Her thoughts drifted toward Thales and Dimitri. Before she could slip back into the darkness, she anchored herself with the warmth of Byleth's body next to hers and the beautiful eyes she was gazing into. 

Byleth understood Edelgard's abrupt silence and let it stretch on as long as needed.

"Byleth?" Edelgard asked. Byleth tilted their head to one side in acknowledgement, so Edelgard continued. "Will you stay here awhile and watch the snow with me?"

"I'd love to," Byleth said, and smiled.

"That smile...facing you, I grow weak. Yet for some reason, I don't seem to mind." Byleth's smiles were becoming more frequent, but Edelgard still cherished each one. She gave Byleth another kiss, then shifted to position herself between Byleth and the window. Standing like this, they could both see outside and huddle together under Byleth's absurd, but admittedly warm and cozy, cloak. Edelgard took Byleth's hands in hers and crossed both of their arms over her chest, watching the snow fall in the calm hours of the morning. They could continue taking care of Fódlan tomorrow; today, they would take care of each other.


	2. light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years of constant planning, fighting, and rebuilding, Edelgard and Byleth don't know what to do with the free day they just gave themselves. They turn to their friends for help, but a chance encounter has unforeseen consequences for their relationship...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! There's chapters now! The chance to make this continuous with the previous story was too good to pass up.
> 
> This was written for Edeleth Week day 2, using the prompt "light". https://twitter.com/EdelethWeek

Edelgard and Byleth had a problem.

No, worse. Problems they had faced before. Problems were no problem at all for the two of them.

But this was a problem neither of them knew how to deal with, and time was running out.

"Who do you think would know?" Byleth asked Edelgard as the two of them rushed through the imperial palace. "We're lucky that everyone's here in Enbarr, but even with everyone here, who do we ask?"

"I think you are making this more of an issue than it needs to be, my love," said Edelgard.

After watching the snow fall outside, going back to bed, and having morning tea, Edelgard and Byleth had tried to figure out what to do with the rest of their day. To Byleth's dismay, neither of them had any idea what to do with the unplanned free time. Byleth insisted that they both get dressed at once and try to find someone to ask for help with this serious problem.

"But it _is_ an issue," Byleth insisted. "We are both taking today off, and we need to learn out how to relax, even if it takes all day." Edelgard could never quite tell if Byleth was joking when they said things like this. Not that she minded; on the contrary, she found it charming.

As they tried to figure out who to ask for advice, they were greeted by a familiar voice.

"I am Ferdinand von Aegir-Vestra!"

Edelgard and Byleth both waved hello to Ferdinand, whose wedding earlier in the year had made him return to his old habit of greeting people with his full name. His engagement to Hubert had been unexpected, but once everyone saw how devoted they were to each other, it was clear that they were a perfect match.

Edelgard sighed. "Yes, Ferdinand, we still know. The wedding was months ago. I walked Hubert down the aisle, remember?" Ferdinand could be exhausting sometimes, but Edelgard was truly happy for him. Ferdinand could be overwhelming at times, but Edelgard appreciated the frequent reminders that two of her closest friends had found such happiness together.

"I could never forget such a joyous day!" Ferdinand said, beaming. "But you appear to be in a hurry. Is something the matter?"

"No," Edelgard replied.

"Yes," Byleth replied simultaneously.

Edelgard sighed and explained, "We are taking the day off from doing work, but we've been busy for so long that neither of us knows what to do with ourselves."

Ferdinand nodded thoughtfully. "A grave situation indeed...have you considered performing a duty that requires you to leave the palace? You could get some fresh air while remaining productive, and maybe inspiration would strike on your way out."

"She can't. She's not allowed," Byleth said firmly.

Edelgard's eyes widened. "What Byleth means to say is that I, of my own free will, decided that I would do no work today."

Byleth cocked their head to once side. "No, you insisted on doing at least some paperwork that you had been putting off," they explained. "I had to order you not to—"

Edelgard grabbed Byleth's hand and dragged them away from Ferdinand, her face a brilliant shade of red. "Okay that's enough goodbye Ferdinand thank you for helping we'll take it from here see you later say hi to Hubert for us!" As soon as they were out of earshot of Ferdinand, Edelgard stopped and turned around. "Byleth!" she hissed. "You can't just say things like that in front of people!"

Byleth looked confused. "Why not?" they said. "It's true. I don't understand why you were lying about it to Ferdinand."

Edelgard started to speak, then closed her mouth. It was a moment before she actually spoke. "You...really don't understand, do you?" She smiled, her cheeks still rosy from her earlier embarrassment. It was difficult for her to remain upset with Byleth for long, especially when she was more flustered than truly angry. "There are some...private...matters that couples usually don't bring up to company, even close friends. Though I suppose if I'm tearing down the existing social order already, there's no harm in being more open about things like that, as long as all parties are comfortable with it...but this is getting dangerously close to work."

"Good girl." Byleth patted Edelgard on the head, making her blush again and emit a sound that may have been a failed attempt at speech or just an enthusiastic sigh of happiness.

Once she regained her composure, Edelgard continued. "The Crest of Flames...it truly did steal our humanity away from us, didn't it?"

Byleth shrugged. "There are many ways to be human. We just have to find our own. As long as I can search for that with you, El, I'll be happy."

Edelgard's smile widened, her eyes shining with happy tears. "I'm sorry; you're absolutely right. That means a lot to me to hear, and I too can think of nobody I'd rather search with."

"I know there's still much I don't understand," Byleth said. "I don't think I'll ever act like someone who had a normal life, but I don't think I want to. Are you okay with that?"

"Of course I am!" Edelgard said. "If you change, I'll still love you, but I did fall in love with you like this, after all."

Byleth nodded, taking a moment to ponder something. "There's something I have been meaning to fix, actually." They took Edelgard's hand in theirs. "Do you mind if I borrow the ring I gave you for a moment? I promise to give it back once I'm done. It won't take long."

Edelgard nodded. "Of course you can borrow it. Though, please be quick about it. I've grown accustomed to its presence, as I have to yours."

"Thank you," Byleth said, gently slipping the ring off of Edelgard's finger. "I knew giving this to you was a declaration of love and commitment, but I was unaware of some of the rituals that seem to be expected to accompany it. I'm sorry for that."

Edelgard giggled. "There's nothing to be sorry for," she said. "I was overjoyed to receive it, and I felt the same way about you then as I do now. Truly, it is one of the happiest moments of my whole life."

"I'm glad." Byleth said. "But you still deserve better, and now that I understand more, I want to get it right."

Byleth released Edelgard's hand and got down on one knee.

"El. We were both in the darkness for so long before we met. Ever since that day in the holy tomb, you have been my guiding light. You banished the darkness, and I want your life to shine in my life for a long time to come."

Byleth reached their hands up, offering the ring to Edelgard once again.

"I love you, El. Will you marry me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen. Technically, a mostly-unplanned marriage proposal is "unforeseen consequences" for a relationship.
> 
> After yesterday's entry, we wanted to write something a bit fluffier. We were originally planning not to write this today (we're already a day behind, after all!), but we ended up needing to deal with some stress, and writing always seems to help with that, so here we are.
> 
> We are planning on finishing Edeleth week, but probably more on the time scale of uh, Edeleth Fortnight. It's already a busy week for us, and we don't want to spread ourselves too thin. Which is why we weren't originally planning to write more tonight, but...oh well... ^^;;;

**Author's Note:**

> We're unsure if there will be continuity between our Edeleth week stories or not; we'll figure it out if & when we get there.
> 
> EDIT: looks like there's continuity after all!


End file.
